


Over Seas and Mountains (to Bring You Home)

by toocleverfox



Category: In Other Lands | The Turn of the Story - Sarah Rees Brennan
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26692585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toocleverfox/pseuds/toocleverfox
Summary: “Our friend,” Serene explained, “is from the other side of the wall. He left for the summer and he was supposed to come back a few weeks ago, but-” She paused and shared a look with Luke. “He has yet to return.”Or: What if Elliot had decided not to return to the Borderlands that one summer? And what if Luke had found a way to get him back?
Relationships: Elliot Schafer/Luke Sunborn
Comments: 18
Kudos: 83





	Over Seas and Mountains (to Bring You Home)

_When I need a hand to hold_

_Someone to tell the truth_

_Would it be okay if I came home to you?_

\- Home to You by Sigrid

Elliot had once asked if there was magic in the Borderlands. They had told him time and time again that no, there was not, but Luke felt that maybe they hadn’t told him the whole truth. And maybe if Elliot had known there was something akin to magic in the Borderlands he would still be here.

There were stories of a woman who lived deep in the forest, deeper than Luke, or anyone he knew, had ever gone, who called herself a witch. His mother had offhandedly mentioned her a few times, but Luke had assumed the witch was simply a fairytale to stop him from wandering into the woods alone when he was little. In those few and far between stories, Luke was able to piece it together. 

The witch was known for her concoctions. She could create potions from the plants she grew by her house. She had learned how to mix certain ingredients together in order for them to provide whatever someone desired. In a way it was magical, but not exactly the kind of magic Elliot had wanted to find.

As Luke walked through the underbrush with Serene at his side, he wasn’t sure if those stories were true, but he hoped they were. They had run out of options. 

Luke shoved a low hanging branch to the side and stopped in his tracks when he saw what was in front of them. “Oh,” he said. “I think we’re here.”

The narrow path they had been following for a few hours opened up into a small clearing in which a cottage stood. It was a faded yellow, with stone walls and a slanted roof. Vines crawled up one side, and Luke swore he heard a voice in his head say ‘cliché’ that sounded an awful lot like a redhead he knew.

“Do you believe the witch truly does live here?” Serene asked as she took in the scenery around them. 

Luke knew what she was trying to say. _Do you think she can actually help?_

“I don’t know,” he said, heading toward the house, Serene right behind him. “I hope so.” They reached the front door, and Luke hesitated a moment before knocking, catching Serene’s eye.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. She dropped it when the door creaked open and a woman stood in the doorway, smiling. Luke was expecting an old woman, with grey hair and a face filled with lines. He imagined Elliot yelling at him for assuming something like that, though it had made sense, considering the stories had been around since his mother was Luke’s age. 

The woman was young, around the same age as Louise, with dark brown skin and short, curly hair. She wore a long, flowing blue dress and she grinned at Luke as if they were old friends. 

“Hello!” she greeted them in a cheery voice. “Come in! Come in!” She held the door open and walked back into the house.

Luke frowned in confusion and glanced at Serene. She looked back at him, looking equally puzzled, and then went inside, Luke following close behind.

“Please close the door behind you!” the woman called from another room.

Luke gently shut the door and followed Serene into a connecting room. It was split into a living room and a kitchen, with potted plants scattered around and large stacks of books placed wherever there was room.

Elliot would like this place.

The woman turned away from the kitchen sink and wiped her hands on a tea towel. “Sorry for the mess. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any guests.” She cocked her head, her smile oozing warmth. “What seems to be the problem?”

Luke awkwardly stood behind Serene in the kitchen and fiddled with his hands. “I’ve heard stories that you can create potions that help people.” Luke glanced at Serene and then back at the woman. “And, well, we need your help.”

The woman frowned slightly. “You must be thinking of my mother.” She sat down at one of the four chairs surrounding a small kitchen table and gestured for them to sit as she continued explaining. “I took over after she stopped working and, unfortunately, I’m not as good with potions as she is.” She must have seen the dejected look on their faces because she rushed out, “I can still try, of course! I’m just a bit out of practice since no one really comes to me for help anymore.” She leaned forward. “What is it that you need?”

“Our friend,” Serene explained, “is from the other side of the wall. He left for the summer and he was supposed to come back a few weeks ago, but-” She paused and shared a look with Luke. “He has yet to return.”

Luke looked down at the worn table. He remembered the moment he realized Elliot wasn’t coming back. He had been hoping Elliot was simply late or had forgotten what the date was, but when time didn’t stop in his absence and the nights started to grow longer, Luke accepted that Elliot wasn’t coming back to the Borderlands. When he’d realized that, it had felt like his body had been cut clean in half. It was a horrible, sinking feeling that had bloomed in the place between his ribs. 

He felt that same feeling in his throat now and choked it down. 

“He means a lot to you,” the woman noted, and Luke saw Serene nod her head from the corner of his eyes.

“Yes, we were once-”

“Not you,” the woman cut her off. “Him,” she said and nodded at Luke.

Luke snapped his head up and felt his face growing hot. “Well, yes, he’s my friend.”

The woman smiled softly, like Luke was a startled animal, ready to bolt out the front door. “But he’s more than that.” She stated it like it was true.

It was, of course, but Luke would never tell her that. He had yet to even tell _Serene_ that. 

“He’s my friend,” he repeated dumbly, ignoring Serene’s confused look.

She seemed to understand that Luke was uncomfortable and easily switched the conversation back to Elliot. “Do you have any idea why he hasn’t returned?”

Luke and Serene shook their heads. 

The woman hummed, stood up and began opening random books scattered around the living room. “I’m Lillian, by the way,” she said as she leafed through a book the size of brick.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lillian,” Serene smiled. “I am Serene, and this is Luke,” she said, gesturing to him even though Lillian had her back to them.

“Nice to meet you both,” Lillian said, her face still in the book. She glanced back at them. “And you’re absolutely positive you don’t know why your friend hasn’t returned?”

Why did she keep asking that? How would Luke and Serene have known why Elliot had decided the Borderlands wasn’t for him anymore? How were they supposed to know why Elliot didn’t want to see them anymore? How was Luke supposed to have known that their last interaction might have been the last time he ever saw Elliot?

“If we knew, we wouldn’t _be here_ ,” Luke suddenly snapped, and Serene rested a hand on his arm.

Luke rarely, if ever, took his anger out on anyone. He’d only ever shown his true colors around Serene and Elliot and even then, he was never actually angry with them. But this- this was out of his hands. This was the unknown. This wasn’t something he could fix by pulling his sword out and taking down enemies. 

“Ah,” Lillian noted, cocking her head and snapping the book shut with one hand. “You’re angry.”

“Of course I’m angry!” Luke said, raising his voice. “Elliot was supposed to be back by now and we have no way of knowing what happened to him! He’s over the wall, somewhere _we can’t go,_ and he didn’t-” Luke ducked his head, the fight leaving him just as quick as it came. “He didn’t even say goodbye.”

“Anger isn’t a bad thing,” Lillian said gently. “It means you care deeply.”

Luke glanced back up at her. She had gone back to looking through her books. 

“Why is it important that you understand Elliot’s reason for not returning, if there is one?” Serene asked, her hand still resting on Luke’s arm. 

“My potions are typically given to someone or used in order to do something to someone else. It’s easier to make potions when you have both sides of a story.” She flipped through a book as she talked. “Once a little boy asked me to make a potion that would make his friend forgive him for something, but in order to do a forgiveness potion I need to know both sides,” Lillian explained. 

“Why?” Luke asked. 

“Sometimes people don’t deserve forgiveness.” Lillian shrugged. “I’d rather know the whole story than only half. But with your situation, I think it’s clear that I don’t need to hear both sides for this. You seem to care a lot about your friend. And I have a feeling he might need your help.”

“How can you tell?” Luke asked eagerly, leaning forward, causing Serene to let go of his arm. Was there something about Elliot that she knew? “Do you have some sort of witch intuition?”

Lillian laughed. “I definitely do not have that. But a friend wouldn’t leave forever without a goodbye. He’s either very late or stuck. Physically or mentally.” 

Mentally? 

Luke was suddenly very concerned he didn’t know everything there was to know about Elliot Schafer. 

“Let me grab a few things,” Lillian said, pulling Luke out of his thoughts. She flitted about the room, grabbing random leaves off plants and a few things from the kitchen. She began mixing the ingredients in a small bowl, every now and then looking down at a book on the kitchen counter. 

After Luke and Serene had watched her work silently for about ten minutes, she poured the mixture into a cup and placed it on the kitchen table in front of them. 

“That’s it?” Luke asked, looking down into the cup. It looked like liquid gold. It shimmered in the sunlight streaming through the windows. “What will it do?”

“It will let you leave the Borderlands.”

Luke blinked stupidly up at her. All his brain could offer in response was, “What?”

“That is not possible,” Serene said, more eloquently than Luke, as she glanced between Lillian and the cup. “Luke was born here. He has never been able to cross over the wall. No one born in the Borderlands has.”

“You came to me for help. This is what I can offer,” Lillian said. “The drink is able to trick whatever force keeps certain people from crossing the wall. You are still yourself but it gives you a sort of camouflage, if you will. Something about chemicals and genes or something. I’m not quite sure, my mother could explain it better,” she added, waving her hand as if to brush her words away. She leaned forward, her hands flat on the table. “Be warned that it wears off in twenty four hours. Give or take a few hours.” 

Luke looked at Serene and found her already watching him. 

“Can we both go?” Luke asked Lillian.

She shook her head. “The concoction is made for only one person. More than one person causes a whole bunch of problems,” she explained. 

“Well, which one of us should go?” Luke said to Serene.

She looked troubled, her eyes faraway. “I… I hurt Elliot. Without meaning to, but I hurt him nonetheless, and I don’t know if he would be willing to return if I were the one to ask.” She came back to herself and smiled softly at Luke. “But I think he would return if you asked. I believe you need to be the one to bring him back.”

“Me?” Luke asked, dumbfounded. “But…” 

But Elliot hated Luke. He always had. Maybe he always would. 

But Serene didn’t know that. Elliot had made them swear to pretend to be friends around her. He wasn’t sure if Elliot had ever told her the truth, so he said nothing.

“Be gentle with him,” she continued, her eyes sad. “I always believed him to be tougher than he looked.” 

Luke looked down at the golden liquid. “I don’t think anyone is as tough as they look.”

Not Elliot. Not Serene. Not even himself.

“Just-” Serene cleared her throat. Luke could tell she was trying not to show any emotion. She was being strong for him. “Just bring him back.”

Luke nodded. “I’ll try.” He took the cup, but Lillian put her hand over it, stopping him.

“Drink it before you leave the Borderlands. I want you to make sure you have enough time to get back.”

“What happens if I don’t make it back in time?” he said.

“You won’t be able to get back at all,” Lillian said simply.

Serene looked distraught at the idea. 

Lillian removed her hand from the cup. “Let me put this in a flask for your journey. I think I have a spare somewhere around here.” She left the room and Luke thought she might have done that to give him and Serene privacy. 

“You will return, won’t you, Luke?” Serene asked quietly. 

“Of course. I couldn’t leave you.” He hesitated. “But I also can’t leave Elliot.”

Serene nodded. “I understand.” She sighed and in that moment she looked older than she was, weighed down by the weight of their world. “I am going to help my mother and the rest of my clan fight. I’ve already put it off for far too long now. My mother already dislikes Elliot, I cannot keep waiting if he will never show.” She glanced at Luke. “I likely will not be able to see you both when you return.”

Luke noticed that she said ‘when,’ not ‘if.’ That gave Luke hope that Serene had faith in him to bring Elliot back. 

“When will I see you again?” he asked.

Serene smiled sadly. “I do not know. But I will fight tooth and nail to see you and Elliot again, if need be.” 

Luke let out a small laugh, knowing Serene was more than capable. “I know you will.” 

Lillian came back into the kitchen, humming a quiet tune under her breath, and handed Luke a flask. “Drink all of that before crossing the wall. It should work immediately,” she instructed. 

“Thank you,” Luke said, looking down at the flask in his hands like it was a lifeline. 

“Also,” she added, “While you’re here, I can fix your wings for you, if you’d like.”

Luke snapped his head up so fast he heard something pop. " _What_?"

He knew he was half harpy. His mum had already told him, but he had yet to tell Serene. He had wanted to wait until Elliot was back to break the news to both of them, but then he’d never shown up and… Well. 

“I can see your wings moving under your shirt. They’re still under your skin, right?” When Luke didn’t say anything she added, “It doesn’t hurt, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ve done this before. I have something that can-” Lillian cut herself off, looking between Luke and Serene. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Oh, um, I’m sorry, did you not- do you not know?” 

“ _I_ know,” Luke said, ducking his head so Serene couldn’t see him. “But Serene doesn’t.”

Luke felt Serene bristle beside him. “What do I not know?” She peered at Luke. “What are you hiding from me, Luke?” 

Luke wanted to curl in on himself. “I’m half harpy,” he whispered, dejected. “I wanted to tell you and Elliot at the same time but-”

“But he never came.” Serene rested her hand on Luke’s arm again. “Oh, Luke I am sorry you had to deal with this alone. Is it painful?”

Luke shook his head. “Just… Odd, I guess. I thought I was one thing my whole life and now I’m not.”

“Hey,” Lillian spoke up, giving him an apologetic smile, “There are weirder things in the Borderlands, kid. My girlfriend’s a tree nymph.” 

Luke smiled at that. “I just don’t want people to think differently of me,” he admitted. He didn’t like the attention he got just from being a Sunborn. He’d _never_ liked it. He didn’t want to imagine all the looks and stares he’d get with wings attached to his back. “I’m still me.”

“Of course you are,” Serene said. “No matter what, you will always be Luke. My swordsister. My friend.” She paused and made an annoyed noise. “Oh, I do wish Elliot were here. I’m not sure how to comfort a man.”

Lillian frowned at Serene while Luke grinned at her. “That’s okay. You’re doing pretty well.”

“Oh, alright then.” Serene smiled back. “Good.” 

Luke looked up at Lillian where she leant against the kitchen counter, still frowning at Serene. “What can you do for my wings?” he asked. “Can you take them away?”

“Take them away?” Lillian asked, baffled. “Of course not, they’re a part of you, like a leg or an arm.” She shook her head. “I can help them come out. It won’t be long before they do. I have a mixture that can speed up the process.”

Luke thought about it and then imagined trying to bring Elliot back to the Borderlands with two giant wings sprouting from his back. Elliot would think he was a freak and he wouldn’t be afraid to announce it. 

“I’d like to leave them for a little bit,” he answered. “If that’s alright.”

Lillian shrugged. “Sure. It’s your body after all.” 

Luke cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, thank you again. Do we owe you anything or…?”

Lillian waved them away. “Rarely anyone visits me anymore. I assume they think I’m a myth now. Just having you come into my house was payment enough.” 

“Oh, okay. Well, we should probably be going now.” Luke stood up, flask in hand, and let Lillian walk them out.

When they walked out the front door, Lillian said, “Can I speak to you for a second, Luke? Alone?” 

Luke glanced at Serene who watched Lillian cautiously and then nodded, walking away to watch them from the edge of the path. Lillian had posed no threat to them, but after living their whole lives with swords in their hands and their guards up it was hard to trust a stranger so quickly. 

“Your Elliot might be difficult to bring back,” she said quietly. “ I know nothing about you three, but you seem like kind people. I don’t think Elliot has a problem with you, but rather himself.” 

If Luke wasn’t the problem, then what was? Was it Serene? Luke shook his head. Elliot loved Serene. But then that only left-

“Why would Elliot have a problem with _himself_?”

Lillian pursed her lips and looked deep into the forest, as if she was looking at a place Luke couldn’t see. “Sometimes people need to be reminded that they’re loved,” she said vaguely. “Not everyone grows up knowing they are.” 

Luke frowned at that. “Do you think Elliot thinks we don’t care about him?”

“I’m sure deep down he knows. But sometimes our minds don’t let us believe it.” 

He thought that over and remembered her words from earlier. _He might be stuck, physically or mentally._

“When you said he might be stuck-”

“The Borderlands is very different from my world,” she cut in. “It’s easy to get lost in your own head in my world. I know I did.”

“You’re from Elliot’s world?” he asked. 

Lillian smiled. “Yes, and I have not been back in a very long time. It’s not like the Borderlands.” She shook her head. “But I suppose people from my world would say the same thing about this side of the wall. I guess it’s just what you’re used to.” She looked at him like his mother did the rare times he got injured in battle. “Just stay safe, kid, alright?” 

He nodded. He had heard stories about things that had happened on the other side of the wall, good and bad. It didn’t matter to him which ones were true. All that mattered was that he got Elliot back.

“Remind your friend that he’s wanted,” Lillian continued, “That he’s loved. Everyone needs to know that. And even if you tell him and he decides to stay-” Lillian shrugged. “It’s his choice.”

Luke nodded. He knew he couldn’t force Elliot to come back, but he also couldn’t imagine leaving him behind even if it was his choice. 

“Elliot would’ve loved to have met you,” he said honestly. 

She grinned, and Luke thought she knew something he didn’t. “I can’t wait to meet him then.”

Luke thanked her again and walked over to Serene where she waited at the edge of the path.

“What did she need to speak with you about?” Serene asked as they left the clearing and made for the long trek back to the Border camp. 

“Just to be careful with Elliot. And that if he decides to stay I shouldn’t force him.”

Serene nodded and asked, “Will you be alright doing this on your own?” 

“Yeah, I will be,” he said because he had to be. 

He _had_ to bring Elliot home. He didn’t know what to do if he didn’t. 

__________

When they finally made it out of the woods, just on the edge of the Border camp, Serene gave Luke an unexpected hug. 

“If you can figure out where I am stationed, write me a letter once you bring Elliot back,” she whispered, and Luke wanted to ask how she was so sure he was going to bring Elliot back to the Borderlands. “I’ll do whatever I can to find you both.”

Luke wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back tightly. “I’ll hold you to that.”

He watched her walk away and, once she was out of sight, he headed for Commander Woodsinger’s office. Walking through the Border camp, knowing Elliot wasn’t around, made the camp seem quiet. It wasn’t, what with people sparring and students milling around their cabins, but it felt like it. It felt different. Like something wasn’t quite right. 

He knocked on Commander Woodsinger’s door and was immediately called in.

“No sign of Elliot?” Luke asked as soon as he stepped into the room.

Commander Woodsinger shook her head. “I was hoping you had news, but I take that as a no.”

She looked worse than the last time Luke had seen her, with bags under her eyes and her hair slightly ruffled. It looked like Elliot’s disappearance wasn’t just weighing on Luke and Serene.

“Did you find the witch?” Commander Woodsinger asked. 

She hadn’t believed them when Luke and Serene had told her their plan but, as it was their last option, she’d let them go. 

“Yes,” Luke said. “And she gave us a way to get to Elliot,” he said.

Commander Woodsinger sat up, frowning, obviously surprised the stories they’d been told as children were true. “How?”

Luke pulled out the flask he’d put in his pack and handed it to her. She opened it up and looked inside, still frowning.

“She said that if I drank that, I could leave the Borderlands,” Luke explained.

“Huh,” Commander Woodsinger said to herself. She put the cap back on and handed it to Luke. “Are you sure it will work?”

Luke shrugged. “It’s our last resort. I have to at least try.”

Commander Woodsinger sighed and leaned back in her chair. She ran a hand over her face. “I would go myself,” she said quietly. “But I can’t leave my station, not at a time like this.” She looked up at Luke, and he could see just how tired she was. “Elliot could be a thorn in my side sometimes, but, please, if you do find him, let him know he is greatly missed.” Something sad crossed her face. “I don’t think I told him that enough.”

Luke swallowed around the lump in his throat. He was thinking the same thing. He wished he had told Elliot more things when he’d had the chance. Now Elliot had slipped through his fingers. If this was his last chance, he wasn’t going to waste it. 

“I will,” he promised her and himself. 

She nodded and reached into her desk, pulling out a large file. “Whenever someone comes to the Borderlands, we ask for their information, where they live, their relatives, all that,” she explained. “We want to make sure that if they choose to leave, they can make their way back safely. No matter what Elliot claims, we don’t _kidnap_ people.” She pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to Luke. “This is Elliot’s.”

Luke looked at it. It had Elliot’s name at the top and the paper was filled out with information Luke didn’t understand. 

“Will this help me find him?” he asked. 

Commander Woodsinger pointed at the paper. “This is the address he gave us. This is our best bet as to where he is.”

Suddenly, the world on the other side of the wall felt much more real.

Luke swallowed his fear. “How do I get there?”

Commander Woodsinger leaned closer and began to explain to him what he would need to do, waving her hands around as she spoke. “The wall on the other side is in the middle of a field, far from any buildings. You’ll need to turn right and walk along the wall until you reach a road.”

He nodded at her instructions. That seemed simple enough.

“Then you’ll have to hail a cab.”

Luke blinked at her. She looked back at him, amused.

“A what?”

She pulled out a clean sheet of paper and a quill and began to draw something. It looked like a bubble with wheels. Commander Woodsinger held up the paper and stared at her work, her frown matching Luke’s.

“Well, I’m not a good artist, but that’s not important,” she said. “It’ll be a black thing, with four wheels and a little light thing on top, and it will be moving _very_ fast. So when you reach the road, _be careful_. If that thing hits you, you could be injured. Or worse.” 

Luke frowned. This wasn’t like any mission he’d gone on before. This was new territory. Literally.

“How do I get it to stop?” he asked. 

“Hold out your hand.”

“That’s it?” 

Commander Woodsinger shrugged. “It normally does the trick.” She reached into the same drawer as before and pulled out three slips of paper, each about the size of Luke’s hand. “Don’t forget to give the driver one of these when you leave.” 

Luke took them and frowned. “What are these?”

“Money,” she said. “From the other side.” 

Luke looked up. Fear welled up inside of him and he pushed it back down. “What if that doesn’t work?”

She thought for a moment. “You could try finding someone and asking for directions, but they might not know how to get there or it might be difficult for you to navigate your way.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I wish there was more I could do.”

“It’s alright,” he said, even though it really, really wasn’t.

He missed Elliot and his stupid hair and his stupid arguments and his stupid smile. Luke just wanted to know why he’d never said goodbye. Why’d he never come back. 

“To get back, if… If you’re coming back alone,” Commander Woodsinger added, clearing her throat. “Hail another cab and hand them this.” She gave Luke another slip of paper with more words on them in the same format as the place where Elliot might be. Both slips of paper had numbers on them and then words Luke recognized but couldn’t make sense of. “Once the driver drops you off, walk along the wall until you get back to where you started.”

In all, it didn’t seem too hard. He could do it. He _had to_.

“Thank you, Commander,” he said, pocketing the slips of paper. 

“Good luck, Luke,” she said, and then gave him a very rare smile. It was warm, but also sad, like she was keeping her composure like a commander should. But, in the end, she was still just human. “Bring him home, alright?”

Suddenly, the lump in Luke’s throat reappeared and he thought about how disappointed she would be if he let her down. 

“I’ll try,” he said, and then left the room and headed for the wall. 

__________

Luke should have rested, or left in the morning, but if he could have Elliot back in the Borderlands so soon, why wait? He had enough food and water in his pack to be alright for twenty four hours. And twenty four hours was all he could afford. Give or take.

He stared up at the wall, shielding his eyes from the midday sun. The wall always seemed so small to him, from all the way at the Border camp. He’d never really been this close before, the tips of his shoes almost touching the bottom of the wall. He’d never really _looked_ at it. It was just something that was always there. Like a tree or a lake or a forest. 

Luke pulled out the flask and opened the cap and looked down into it, taking in the golden hue. Tossing his head back, he chugged the liquid down, not sparing a drop. He waited, but nothing happened. He’d assumed he would feel different or at least something would have changed, but there was nothing. 

Hoping whatever Lillian had given him worked, he walked through the hole in the wall and left the Borderlands behind. 

Luke blinked at the sudden change in light, noting the storm clouds above him where a clear blue sky had once been. 

Then it clicked and his jaw dropped. 

Whereas the wall on Luke’s side had opened up onto the grassy meadows of the Border camp, the wall on the other side stretched up into the sky. He looked over the wall with wide eyes. The field below him stretched for miles and miles. It was a field of tall grass and flowers with a few trees scattered around. Luke felt dizzy looking down. 

Whatever Lillian had given him had _worked_. He’d made it to Elliot’s world.

Luke found the steps leading down and followed them. It took longer than he thought it would, realizing just how high up he’d been. Finally, at the bottom of the stairs, he took one last step and walked into the open field. Luke glanced back at the stone stairs. 

Now he just hoped he would be able to get back over.

Following Commander Woodsinger’s instructions, Luke turned right and walked along the wall. He couldn’t see far enough in the distance to see where the wall went. It seemed like it went on and on forever. He shouldered his pack. He had a long way to go. 

Luke walked for what felt like hours with the open, misty field on his left and the arching wall on his right. This part of Elliot’s world wasn’t much different from his own. He could almost pretend he was back in the Borderlands during the winter months, when the green fields were shrouded with mist. The trees even looked the same and he knew the names of a few of the flowers he passed. It was comforting to know some things didn’t change, like trees and flowers and missing a friend.

Eventually, he reached a road, though it was different to what he had expected. It was black, like dark stone, and it had yellow lines running down the middle. The road was empty when Luke arrived, and, as he wondered how he would find a cab, a rumbling noise came from his right and he turned his head quickly. Before he could even blink, some sort of wheeled creature sped past him, moving faster than anything he’d ever seen. 

He stared in shock as it faded from view and took a few steps away from the road as more of those things started coming from the left and the right. They were moving so fast, he barely had time to distinguish their color. Finally, after watching the creatures move for a few minutes, he spotted a black cab coming down the road, and he stuck out his hand like Commander Woodsinger had shown him. 

Immediately, the thing stopped on the side of the road and Luke stared at it, unsure what to do. 

The window closest to Luke lowered and a man, the driver, Luke guessed, peered up at him from the opposite seat, his hand resting on some sort of wheel. It looked like the steering wheel of a ship. 

The man looked him up and down, frowning. Then he shrugged to himself and said, “You gettin’ in or what?” 

His accent was similar to Elliot’s and he wore similar clothes to him too, with a jacket and- What had Elliot called them? Jeans? Luke realized he probably looked just as weird here in his outfit as Elliot looked in the Borderlands in his own.

“Um, yes,” Luke answered. He looked down at the black door. By some miracle he figured out how to open the door and got in, closing it behind him. “Do you know how to get here?” Luke asked, showing the man the piece of paper with Elliot’s location on it.

The man took it from Luke’s hand and squinted at it. His face cleared and he grinned. 

“Yeah, I do! My mam lives near there.”

Luke nodded. He didn’t know how to reply, but considering he knew nothing about this world, it was probably best he didn’t. 

Luckily, the man handed Luke the paper and said, “You might want to strap in.”

“What-” Luke tried to say, but the cab took off and his words turned into a strangled scream.

__________

Luke almost cried from pure relief when the cab finally stopped, and it no longer felt like his body was being shoved into the seat by some invisible force. His head was swimming, and he thought he might vomit. 

“You alright, kid?” the driver asked, giving Luke an odd look. 

Luke shoved the money Commander Woodsinger had given him into the man’s hand and stumbled out of the metal beast, not bothering to thank him. He heard the cab drive off as he put his hands on his knees and attempted to slow his heart, forcing the bile rising in his throat back down.

Once Luke’s body no longer felt like it was no going to melt into the ground, he glanced up at the world around him. Whatever stories he’d heard growing up hadn’t prepared him for what this side of the wall looked like. The street was empty with no sign of other people around, and the sky was overcast, giving the world a dreary feel. The street was filled with tall buildings, taller than most at the Borderlands, similar in height to the archers’ towers, and they were packed close together. They were all similar in color while the few that stood out looked to be made of brick. It saddened Luke to see that there were no trees or flowers in this part of the world, like nature and humanity had to be separated in order to live. 

He turned around and found a similar situation on the other side of the road, except it seemed like a few stores had been added in between the other buildings. Along the road, packed close together like the houses, were those same four wheeled things. 

Luke would have to ask Elliot what they were.

_Elliot._

Luke turned back to the building the man had dropped him off at and looked up at it. It was a house, he noted. It wasn’t very different to all the other houses on the street but it looked almost- sad wasn’t the right word. Abandoned? Unloved? Forgotten, maybe. It didn’t feel like a home, not like Luke’s own where you could always hear a Sunborn’s voice drifting through the open windows. 

As Luke worked up the courage to go and knock on the door, he heard a familiar voice down the street and turned his head so fast he must have pulled something. 

“Oh, you want a tip?” Elliot said in his sarcastic voice that made Luke’s chest hurt in all the right ways. “Sure, I’ll give you a tip.” He slammed the door shut. “Learn how to drive!” he yelled, and the cab took off, the person in it shouting out the window as they disappeared down the road. 

Luke’s heart hiccuped. 

Elliot shook his head and pulled something out of his pocket. He was wearing similar clothes to the ones he normally wore when he arrived back at the Borderlands, before he’d had a chance to change into the camp clothes he’d been given. He was in a black jacket, with a hood, and those weird pants he liked. He pulled out a strange square block and white string that he put into one of his ears, leaving the other dangling. 

While Luke was trying to understand what Elliot was doing, his brain caught up to him and he realized Elliot was _standing right there._

He couldn’t lose him. This was his _one_ chance. 

“ _Elliot_!” Luke yelled before he told his mouth to even open, like something inside of him had been waiting to call Elliot’s name for a long, long time. 

Almost instantly, like he, too, had been waiting for someone to say his name for a long, long time, Elliot’s head snapped up, his eyes growing wide at the sight of Luke a few houses down from him. 

And Luke- Luke hadn’t seen him all summer. Longer than summer. It had been _months_. 

He didn’t even notice his feet moving until he was suddenly up in the air and swooping down to knock Elliot to the ground, throwing his arms around him.

He lay on top of Elliot, his face tucked into his shoulder, just breathing him in. It was only once he securely had Elliot in his arms did he realize Elliot wasn’t hugging him back. He pulled away, looking down at Elliot who lay blinking up at him, his red hair wild where it was splayed against the ground. 

“Luke,” Elliot breathed, eyes wide as he took Luke in. The white thing in his ear had fallen out and a soft tune could be heard coming from it. Elliot opened his mouth to say something else but then his eyebrows suddenly furrowed and he frowned at something over Luke’s shoulder. “Are you aware there are two wings attached to your back? As in real wings? As in real wings with _feathers_?”

Luke made a pained expression and pulled away, leaning back on Elliot’s legs. He looked behind him and saw the two golden wings covering them both, as if shielding them from the world. He hadn’t expected them to come out so soon, but his body must have thought he needed an extra boost to get to Elliot. 

“It’s... New.”

When he looked back, Elliot’s face was closed off and he was regarding Luke with caution. 

“Mind letting me up?” he said, and Luke blushed, getting to his feet.

He offered a hand to Elliot but he ignored it, getting up by himself.

“How are you here?” Elliot asked once they were both standing. He tucked his things back into his pocket and frowned at Luke. “This isn’t possible. You shouldn’t be able to cross the wall.” 

Luke rubbed the back of his head. “It’s a long story.” 

“I have time,” Elliot said, and started walking. 

Luke followed. They only walked for a few seconds, Elliot stopping at the house Luke had been dropped off at. It was clearly Elliot’s house, but Luke didn’t want to call it that. It didn’t feel like a place Elliot would live in. 

Instead of opening the door and going inside, Elliot sat down on the front steps.

Luke copied him, sitting down beside Elliot. “It really is a long story. It would be easier to tell you about it back at the Borderlands,” he said.

Elliot didn’t reply like Luke had hoped he would. Elliot loved stories, and he’d been hoping he would be excited to hear Luke’s. He looked over at Elliot and found him hunched over, his elbows on his knees, staring straight ahead. His face was morphed into something ugly. 

“Luke, I’m not going back,” Elliot said through gritted teeth, and Luke felt the world come to an abrupt stop.

“What?” His stomach felt like lead. “But-”

“I’m not going back,” he repeated, not meeting Luke’s eyes. “The Borderlands is stupid, okay? It’s this magical place with magical creatures and all you people do is make _war_.” 

Luke’s expression hardened. “And what? You don’t have war on this side of the wall?”

Elliot sighed and dropped his head. “Of course we do. Our wars are even more destructive.” 

“So stop making excuses,” Luke snapped. He was angry at Elliot, but more than anything, he was scared and confused. This wasn’t the Elliot he’d known at the Borderlands, the one who only wanted to help others, the one who had a solution for everything, the one who Luke had become friends with. What had happened to _him_? “If you don’t want more war in the Borderlands, then come back and help prevent it.”

Elliot shook his head like Luke wasn’t understanding him. “I’m only _one_ _person,”_ he said, raising his voice. 

Luke watched him for a moment, wondering who had hurt Elliot so badly that he barely remembered who he used to be, and then said, “And when has that ever stopped you?”

Elliot had always been strange. Not in a bad way. Never in a bad way. He was like an anomaly that Luke had always wished to figure out. But this Elliot, in his odd shirt and trousers, was someone completely different. The fire in his eyes was dim and it made Luke’s heart ache.

He didn’t know much about this world, but it couldn’t be good if it made Elliot look like that. He watched Elliot. He looked at his unruly hair. At his slightly upturned nose. At his freckles. At his lips.

Luke ached to wash away all the pain Elliot held inside of him.

“I’m not going back, okay?” Elliot said. “So just drop it.”

Luke crossed his arms. He thought of Lillian, who’d told Luke he couldn’t force Elliot to come back. But Luke _could_ force an answer out of him. 

“Then I’m not leaving until you give me a reason,” he said.

Elliot scoffed. It was an ugly thing. “I don’t owe you anything.”

Luke threw his hands up. “Are you serious? You don’t owe your _friend_ a good reason for why you left without so much as a _goodbye_?” 

“You aren’t my friend, Luke! You hated me!” Elliot snapped. “You _hate_ me!” 

And all of Luke’s anger vanished. _He might be stuck, physically or mentally._

_Mentally._

“I never-”

But Elliot continued as if Luke hadn’t spoken. “You were so _good_ ,” Elliot admitted like it pained him. It probably did. “Everyone loved you. Serene loved you, you had a big family that loved you, you had adoring fans and I- all I had were you and Serene, and I knew you two would have been fine without me but,” Elliot sighed, and all the tension left his body. He wiped one of his eyes with his sleeve. “But I wouldn’t have been fine without you. I’m not fine without you.”

“Then come _back_ ,” Luke begged, shifting closer to Elliot, his wings unfolding from his back and shielding them. 

“I can’t.” Elliot shook his head. “There’s nothing there for me.” 

“What about Serene and I? We’re your friends!”

Elliot looked sad. It was uncommon on his face. “You and Serene were always closer than I was to either of you. You wouldn’t care if I didn’t come back.”

“But clearly we do care, or I wouldn’t be _here right now_ ,” Luke said desperately, wishing Elliot could understand just how much Luke and Serene cared for him. “What do you have here that’s holding you back?”

Elliot shrugged. “Nothing. But anything’s better than being dependent on you and Serene.” Luke tried to cut in but then Elliot added, “Did you know I only made friends because they wanted to be friends with you?”

Luke frowned. “I didn’t know that.”

Elliot laughed dryly. “Every time I thought that maybe, just maybe, someone was going to choose me for once… It was really you they wanted.”

“Then they were idiots,” Luke growled. He stood up from beside Elliot and bent down in front of him. Luke’s wings blocked out the street behind him, leaving Luke and Elliot in their own little bubble. “Elliot, I chose you. I became your friend because I _wanted_ to, even after you tried to push me away, I didn’t stop wanting to be your friend.” He grabbed Elliot’s hands, holding them in his own. Elliot finally, _finally_ , met his eyes. “Out of everyone at the Border Camp, _I chose you_.” Luke moved his hands up to Elliot’s cheeks, cupping his face in his hands. The light reflected off Luke’s wings making Elliot’s face glow ever so slightly. “I _will_ choose you. Every single time.” Luke hoped, no, _prayed_ , to whoever was listening that Elliot believed him. And, on the steps of Elliot’s house, Luke said, as soft as his wings, “I love you, Elliot.”

Elliot froze under his hands. His eyes were frantic, bouncing around Luke’s face, as if looking for the lie. “You don’t mean that,” he said, his eyes wide with fear. 

Luke’s heart ached in his chest. “Why would I lie about my feelings for you?”

“Because you want to hurt me,” Elliot answered quietly, like it was obvious. 

“Elliot, no, never, I would- I would never do that,” Luke said. “You know me. I wouldn’t do that, especially not to you. I’ve said a lot of mean things to you, but I never meant them. I’d never willingly hurt you.” 

Luke realized this was the first time he’d ever seen Elliot at a loss for words. “But… But what about Dale?”

“There was nothing going on with Dale,” Luke said, gently rubbing his thumb over Elliot’s cheekbone. “Every time I was with him, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Luke couldn’t stop talking now that he’d started. “Do you remember the time you dragged me off the Trigon pitch? I wouldn’t have let anyone else do that but I let _you_. And all those times you came to my matches? I’d look at you, not Serene or my family, I looked at _you_. But you were never looking back.” Luke cupped Elliot’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Elliot, I was _always_ looking at you, but you were never looking at me.”

“Oh.” Elliot straightened up, and his eyes seemed to focus on something far away. Something Luke couldn’t see. A tear slipped down his cheek as he said, almost in awe, “Oh. You really do love me.”

Luke smiled and felt his own eyes well with tears. “There was never anyone else. There never will be anyone else,” Luke admitted. “I’m in love with _you,_ Elliot. I choose you.”

Elliot let out something close to a choked sob and Luke pulled him close, knowing his words finally got through to Elliot. He wrapped them both in his wings and held Elliot as he shook against him, his tears wet against the crook of Luke’s neck. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Elliot cry like this before.

After a few minutes, Elliot mumbled, his voice rough and his cheek resting on Luke’s shoulder, “For someone who knows exactly ten words in the dictionary, you sure had one hell of a confession speech.”

Luke let out a quiet laugh. That was the Elliot he knew. That was the Elliot he’d fallen in love with. 

“Maybe I was saving all my words for this. For you,” Luke said. 

Elliot pulled away from Luke and looked at him, like he was seeing Luke for the first time. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “Maybe.” Elliot watched him for a moment and then cleared his throat and stood up, untangling himself from Luke. He gestured to the front door. “Do you want to come in? We can talk more inside.” 

“Oh,” Luke said, standing up. “Yes, that’s- that’s good.” He folded his wings behind him. He’d have to fix his ripped tunic when he got back.

Elliot blinked at his retreating wings. “I have so, so many questions,” he breathed, and then shook his head. “Come on.” He pulled out a key and unlocked the door, walking into the house with Luke behind him. “I have some things I need to pack.”

“Wait, what?” Luke blinked dumbly at Elliot’s back as he walked through the empty house. “Pack? Does this mean you’re coming back to the Borderlands?” 

Elliot turned around and gave him a lopsided smile. “You gave quite the riveting speech.” 

Luke felt his heart swell.

Elliot turned back around and walked up a short flight of stairs. As Luke followed him up, he took in the house around them. It was dark, like all the curtains were closed, and it was quiet, much quieter than Luke’s house ever was. There were no family pictures on the wall, not even a painting or a mirror. The walls were completely bare. 

Was this where Elliot stayed every summer? Why did he stay here when he could stay with Luke at his house? What forced Elliot to leave the Borderlands for this miserable place?

On the second floor, Elliot led Luke to his bedroom. This room made Luke feel more comfortable. It was filled with knick knacks and pictures and made the place feel lived in, unlike the rest of the house. Luke walked around the small room, looking at all the things Elliot owned while Elliot grabbed a bag and began shoving random objects inside. Some things around the room Luke recognized, like books and those weird quills Elliot preferred to write with, while other things he couldn’t figure out what they were or what purpose they held.

When he reached Elliot’s unmade bed, he found a picture of himself, Serene, and Elliot, all smiling together. He took it down from the wall and held it gently in his hands. He ran his thumb over Elliot’s smile. 

“You kept this?” Luke asked.

When he didn’t get a response, Luke turned around and found Elliot looking at the picture in his hand, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Why did you still want to be my friend, after all those years?” Elliot asked quietly, still looking at the photo. His bag was discarded on the floor. “I was awful to you. I had nothing to offer.”

Luke cocked his head. “Why should friendship be won because you can offer something?”

Elliot’s eyes moved to Luke’s face. “Sometimes you make everything seem simpler than it is.”

Luke shrugged. “Maybe it is.” He sat down on Elliot’s bed and said, “You were mean to me, sure, but I said a lot of mean things, too. I liked being your friend, even during the times we’d fight, because you didn’t see me as a Sunborn. You just saw me as Luke. Serene’s the only other person who doesn’t think of me as a Sunborn. She sees me for me. You do, too.” Luke fiddled with the photo. “I just don’t understand why you never told Serene or I how you felt. You know we would have helped you with anything.”

Elliot walked over and sat down beside Luke, looking down at his hands. “I can talk for hours and hours about history or linguistics or treaties,” he said, and Luke let out a laugh.

“I know.”

Elliot smiled back, but then it fell. “But talking about other things… I don’t know how to,” he said. “I have all these words inside of me but I don’t- I don’t know how to describe what I’m feeling. What I’ve been feeling. Talking about myself feels like all the words inside of me have vanished and I can’t find them. But once I finally do find them in all the hidden places in my mind, I don’t know which ones to use to tell you just how worthless I felt beside you and Serene. I loved you both and yet I felt _terrible_. I felt… Small next to you. Like I could have vanished and no one would’ve noticed.” 

And that’s exactly what he’d done, Luke realized sadly. He turned on the bed, sitting on his knees to face Elliot. The photograph fell onto the blanket next to them. “Serene and I should’ve noticed you were hurting,” Luke said, shaking his head. “We should have been there for you. We would’ve understood,” he insisted. “We care so much about you, Elliot, how could you not know that?”

Elliot shrugged. “Sometimes my mind doesn’t let me have nice things. It twists it.”

“Please, don’t twist this.” Luke leaned forward and kissed Elliot on his forehead. “You deserve this.” 

Elliot’s eyes fluttered shut. “I’ve gotten love wrong three times in my life, Luke,” he whispered. “Once with my mother, once with my father, and then once with Serene.” He opened his eyes, meeting Luke’s own. “I really, _really_ don’t want to get it wrong again.”

Luke shook his head, still holding Elliot’s face. “If anything, I’m scared _I’m_ the one who will get it wrong. I’ve been in love with you since we were thirteen. I’m taking a leap of faith right now hoping you feel the same.” 

“In love?” Elliot blinked owlishly at him. Twice now, Elliot seemed to be at a loss for words. “ _Thirteen_?” he breathed.

Luke’s cheeks felt hot, and he dropped Elliot's hands. “Um. Yes?”

“Right. Well, that’s- right.”

A small blush was spreading across Elliot’s face. Luke couldn’t fight back his smile. 

“You really had no idea?” 

“I think,” Elliot said slowly, “I got it in my head that I wanted you to dislike me because I liked you and assumed I didn’t have a chance.” 

Luke perked up. “You liked me?”

Elliot groaned. “Please, don’t make me repeat it.” 

“And...” Luke hesitated, then asked, “And you like me now?”

Elliot looked up, his smile shy. 

Serene had once admitted to Luke that she liked the rare moments when Elliot was bashful. Shy. Luke had simply nodded, understanding that, like most female elves, they liked their men quiet. 

But Luke couldn’t agree with her. He’d always liked Elliot the most when he was simply being himself. There was nothing he liked more than seeing Elliot glow as he called a commander out for a mistake or when he told one of their classmates all the ways in which they were wrong. That was Elliot Schafer. That was the boy he’d fallen in love with. Seeing Elliot’s vulnerable side was just a bonus for being his friend. 

“Unfortunately,” Elliot answered, his smile dropping into a small smirk, and Luke _laughed_ , loud and bright, and dragged him into a hug, practically pulling Elliot into his lap. Elliot let out a quiet laugh, resting his hands on Luke’s shoulders. “Now that we’re on the same page, can we _please_ talk about your wings?” he said, wiggling out of Luke’s grasp. He leaned his stomach against Luke’s chest and reached up to touch his wings that had come out when he’d hugged Elliot. Luke gently held onto Elliot’s hips, holding him in place. “I’m dying to talk about your wings.”

Luke huffed out a small puff of air. “We’re not doing that.” 

Elliot, clearly ignoring him, ran a hand over his feathers. Luke shivered at the touch. Elliot looked down at him and said, “Does this mean you’re half harpy?”

Frowning, Luke removed his hands from Elliot’s hips and used them to pull Elliot’s hands away from his wings. “Yes, now stop asking. I’m not ready to talk about it.”

Surprisingly, Elliot listened and leaned back, and Luke let go of his hands. “Alright. But you will be ready? One day?”

Luke thought it over. “Yes. Hopefully.”

“Okay. I can wait.”

Luke squinted at him. “You’re being awfully good about this. I thought you would’ve called me a name by now.”

“What? Like bird brain? Oh, or egret. Get it? Because it sounds like idiot? Or Icarus? No, that one would probably fly over your head. _Ha_! Wait, that was a _pun_! The amount of puns I could-” Elliot wilted at Luke’s expression. “Sorry. I’m- trying. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know how to act around you when you’re like this. When you’re nice to me it’s…”

“Weird?”

Luke shook his head. “It’s nice, but different. I’ll have to get used to it.”

Elliot nodded and then said, “Would you prefer I call you angel?”

Luke felt his face bloom with heat. “That’s-” Luke cleared his throat. “That’s- No, no, don’t do that.”

“How about I stick with loser, loser?”

The way Elliot said it in a fond tone, with his eyes focused only on Luke, made his face heat up again. He wondered when ‘loser’ started sounding like his name. 

“That’s fine.”

“Alright, loser, well I’m ready to go,” Elliot said, getting off Luke’s lap. He snatched the photo up from the bed and delicately placed it into his bag. Luke watched as he grabbed a few more things off the dresser and then turned to Luke. “Coming?”

Luke got up and followed him out the bedroom door. He noted that Elliot’s bag looked like it was ready to burst open. “That thing’s going to be a problem once we reach the Borderlands, isn’t it?”

Elliot shrugged. “I will neither confirm nor deny that.”

Luke rolled his eyes, but he was happy. He would let Elliot smuggle whatever he wanted into the Borderlands as long as it meant he was never leaving again.

They left the house and Elliot locked the door behind them. “Wait,” he said, pursing his lips. “There’s something I want to do. Wait here.” He set his bag down and then he was crossing the street. He went into a building that looked different from the surrounding houses.

A store, Luke decided on. Maybe he needed to buy something. 

As Luke sat on the front steps and watched the door, waiting for Elliot to come back out, someone stopped in front of him. Luke looked up and found a man staring down at him. Luke felt uncomfortable under his gaze and made sure his wings were hidden behind his back. The man was in a strange outfit, holding a square box with a handle on it.

Luke stared back at him until it clicked that this man lived at this house. Oh. This was Elliot’s father. Except- he didn’t look at all like Elliot. The man looked tired and his skin was almost grey, like he spent all his life in the dark. He looked nothing like Elliot with his bright hair and starlike freckles and shining eyes.

Elliot came back at that moment, clutching a metal canister in his hands, watching his father warily.

His father glanced at him, but said nothing.

“This is my boyfriend, Luke,” Elliot said, sending a shrill down Luke’s spine at the title. He grabbed his bag and then hauled Luke up. “And we’ll be going now.”

“Will you be coming back?” Elliot’s father finally spoke, his voice hoarse like he rarely used it. 

Elliot smiled at the man and Luke thought it was one of the happiest smiles he’d ever seen on Elliot, like a mixture of relief and hopefulness all in one. 

“No,” he answered. “No, I’m not.”

Elliot’s father said nothing, just unlocked the door and went inside without another word, closing the door behind him.

“Come on,” Elliot said, tugging at Luke’s arm. 

He pulled Luke around the side of the house, where a small fence sat between Elliot’s house and the neighboring building. Elliot opened the gate and walked into the yard, looking up at the grey wall. He thought for a moment, just staring, and then he opened the metal canister and began to write on the wall in red paint.

When he was done, he backed up to look at his work and Luke saw the words, ELLIOT SCHAFER, written on the wall. Red against grey. A strong contrast to the faded color of the house.

After seeing what Elliot’s father was like, Luke felt the need to say, “Commander Woodsinger said she missed you,” in the silence between them.

Elliot glanced away from his name on the wall. “She did?” 

Luke nodded, watching red paint drip down from the letter L. “She said that you could be a thorn in her side, but she missed you anyway.”

Elliot ducked his head, but Luke could see his smile. “I suppose I missed her, too. Even if a few of her treaties sucked,” he added. He left the canister on the ground and walked out of the yard, Luke following. “I’ll get us a cab,” he said as they walked toward the road.

Luke blanched. “Do we have to?” 

“What?” Elliot looked at him, amused. “Don’t like cars?”

“ _That’s_ what they’re called?” Luke shook his head. “No, no, I _really_ don’t like cars.”

“How did you even- you know what? Nevermind, you can tell me back at the Borderlands.” He walked over to the edge of the road and stuck out his hand. Within seconds a cab pulled up and Elliot opened the back door for Luke. “After you,” he smirked. 

Luke rolled his eyes and climbed into the car. Elliot climbed in next to him. He reached over and squeezed Luke’s hand and then pointed at something red between the seats.

“Put your seatbelt on,” Elliot said but, before he could, the car took off and Luke’s scream mixed with Elliot’s loud laugh.

__________

Back on the top of the wall, overlooking the field with the sun setting in the horizon, Luke held Elliot’s hand. They’d been dropped off on the side of the long road and had made their way back to this part of the wall, quiet most of the way.

Luke looked at the view before him. “I don’t really like this place,” he admitted. 

Elliot snorted out a laugh. “I don’t really either.”

“No mermaids?”

“No mermaids.” 

He remembered what Lillian had said, that he couldn’t force Elliot to go with him. Hesitantly, he asked, “Are you sure about this?”

Thankfully, Elliot nodded. “I want to go back. I want to be with you and Serene. And if I can do something to help people, I should do it. I have the power to make a change in the Borderlands.” He blinked as the sun dipped below the horizon. “I would hate myself if I didn’t go back when I knew I could do something good.”

If only Elliot could see himself through Luke’s eyes. If only there was some way to get Elliot to understand that he was amazing, but Luke knew that no matter how much he tried, Elliot wouldn’t believe him. 

He’d try anyway, until Elliot finally did. 

“Ready?” Elliot asked, turning away from his world to look at Luke.

Luke squeezed his hand, his wings unfurling behind him. “Ready.”

“Okay,” Elliot said, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. “Let’s go home.”

And with that, they walked back into the Borderlands.

**Author's Note:**

> There's no mention of Jase in this fic because I hate him with every fiber of my being, but just know this takes place like two months after they'd broken up.
> 
> Also, I just want to give a shoutout to Drew and Gabs for being my number one supporters while I wrote this. (Drew, aren't you happy I forced you to read In Other Lands? 😙) 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading!


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